The BDA (British Dental Association) has provided a campaign information release on 7 things you didn’t know about tooth whitening

1. WHITENING IS SAFE

If carried out by a trained dental professional, whitening is perfectly safe. Based on their knowledge of your oral health your dentist will discuss with you the options available, decide if tooth whitening is appropriate for you and develop an overall treatment plan that gives the desired result.

You’ll get to see on a chart what shade your teeth are before the treatment and what shade you’re likely to achieve. At the end of the treatment the dentist will show you the actual result so you can understand how effective it was. You will also see when you look in the mirror!

2. ONLY TRAINED DENTAL PROFESSIONALS CAN WHITEN TEETH

It is illegal for anyone other than dentists or their teams to carry out teeth whitening. Anyone else offering teeth whitening (e.g. beauticians, hairdressers, and salon staff) won’t have the right training and knowledge, could permanently damage your teeth and gums and can’t help you when something goes wrong.

3. THE PREFERRED OPTION

Whitening won’t remove the surface of your teeth or change their shape. It’s often a better option than alternatives, such as veneers, because it doesn’t involve permanently altering the tooth’s structure and is easy to look after.

4. SELECTING THE RIGHT PRODUCT FOR YOU

Your dentist is trained to know what whitening products will be safe for your teeth and gums. Products provided by non-dentists often do not have enough safety data and evidence to support their use; this can result in burned gums and/or blistered lips or even more serious consequences. Using products that are not appropriate for you will produce poor results.

5. HOW IT WORKS

A carefully-controlled concentration of bleach is applied to your teeth using specially-made trays that fit in your mouth. Your dentist will be able to discuss with you the level of whitening you want and give you an idea of how many treatments you may need to achieve the shade you’re after.

Like hair and skin, teeth vary in colour. Some are yellower or darker than others, even when they are quite healthy. Teeth tend to get darker as people get older. Teeth sometimes become darker if their roots have been damaged or diseased and the ‘nerve’ has died.

6. WHAT TO EXPECT

You may experience some sensitivity for a short time during your treatment but this is normal and will soon fade away after completion.

7. OVER THE COUNTER KITS MAY NOT BE SAFE

The products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this they should not be considered safe. These products won’t produce the same good results you can expect by visiting your dentist.

Tooth colour can be lightened with Hydrogen Peroxide (bleach) and how strong the dose needs to be will be decided by your dentist.

Ask your dentist for more information.

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First Dr Rashid your cosmetic dentist must assess that you are suitable for tooth whitening.  This means making sure your teeth and gums are healthy before starting the tooth whitening treatment.  Once this is complete impressions are taken of your teeth to fabricate your custom fit tooth whitening trays.

The cosmetic dentist will then show you how to place the gel into your tooth whitening trays.  The trays are then placed in the mouth for 30-40 minutes.  This process is then repeated for 10-14 days. You can generally achieve 8 shades lighter using a professional tooth whitening system.

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X Factor winner James Arthur wants to straighten and whiten his teeth.  Now having become a celebrity and on his way to major musical success, James Arthur wants a confident smile.

Teeth whitening is as popular as ever.  It is an easy way to make a big difference to your smile.  It’s safe and quick to do when carried out using a professional tooth whitening product from your dentist.

Time Dental in Farnham, Surrey are currently running a winter promotion on tooth whitening.  Call to find out how they can help you so you can be ready for your Xmas and New year parties!

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Tooth whitening is still as popular as ever.  It very easy and safe to do when carried out using the professional tooth whitening products supplied by your dentist.  There are two main methods:

In-office tooth whitening.  This is where a concentrated tooth whitening gel is placed on the teeth for an hour and can make instant results.  Some gels need light activation. sometimes called “laser” tooth whitening other systems do not need the light and are chemically activated and can achieve the same result.

The other method is professional at-home tooth whitening.  This is where specially made custom fit whitening trays are loaded with a gel and the trays are worn in the mouth for 1 hour.  Some systems require you to wear them over night.  This depends on the type of gel used and the concentration of it.  Your dentist will be able to advise.

Call us to see how we can help.  We provide this service to patients in Fleet as well as the surrounding areas in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.

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1. This might be obvious but brushing your teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes with a good electric tooth brush is a great way to remove superficial stains and plaque bacteria.

2. Using floss or interdental brushes.  Plaque bacteria can appear as creamy yellow.  If this hardens it becomes tartar that can stain easily over time.  Cleaning in between your teeth can help remove the plaque bacteria keeping your gums healthy and your teeth brighter.

3. Eating cheese after a meal can help to neutralize the acid and strengthen the teeth as it contains calcium and phosphate ions which can in turn help the appearance of teeth

4. Eating crispy foods such as apples, celery and carrots.  They have a naturally abrasive element which can help to remove stains.  Abrasive foods should still be eaten in moderation as excess can actually cause damage to your teeth.

5. Strawberries have an acidic content that also helps to whiten your teeth.  As strawberries also have natural sugars eating too many can end up causing acid erosion and tooth decay.

6. Drinking through a straw.  Coloured drinks can stain your teeth.  Drinking through a straw bypasses the teeth and avoids staining them.

7.  Baking soda.  Due to the abrasive nature of baking soda it can help to improve the appearance of teeth.  A word of caution this can permanently damage your teeth if used excessively.

The easiest way to improve the colour of your teeth is to professionally tooth whiten them.  Speak to your dentist to ensure you are suitable.  Tooth whitening is safe and easy to do.  Call us to see how we can help.

Time Dental- Private dental care at its best.

A patient came to Time Dental near Camberley in Surrey looking to improve his smile.  He worked in a job where he was in talking to potential new customers for hsi business and he was very aware of his discoloured teeth.

We discussed his options which were professional tooth whitening as the first step.  This is where a special tooth whitening gel is placed in custom fit whitening trays and put into the mouth for 45 minutes.   This process is repeated daily for 10- 14 days.  This is a great way to make a big impact for your confidence.  Its easy to do and is completely safe.  You must get your dental health checked before starting a course of professional tooth whitening.

Time Dental- Private dental care at its best

If you have discoloured or stained teeth a course of tooth whitening can freshen up your smile.  There are two main types of tooth whitening. In-office tooth whitening and professional tooth whitening at-home.  The In-office tooth whitening system involves placing a high concentration of gel on the teeth for one hour and this can immediately brighten the teeth.  Some systems use a light source to activate the gel and other systems are chemically activated.  The end result is essentially the same.

The other method is the professional tooth whitening kit.  This is where special custom fit teeth whitening trays are made and the gel at a lower concentration is placed into the trays.  The trays are then worn for 1 hour per day for approximately 10-14 days.

Time dental provides this service to patients in the Surrey area as well as Hampshire, West sussex and Berskshire.

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A patient at Time Dental near Farnborough in Hampshire had just finished a course of orthodontic adult braces.  The gaps between her upper and lower teeth had been closed and they were in a straight position.  However now that they were straight, she noticed that the teeth were very discoloured and the edges of the teeth were uneven.

We discussed her options for brightening her smile with tooth whitening.  One option is the in-office tooth whitening system.  This is where a high concentrated tooth whitening gel is painted onto the teeth and can whiten the teeth in an hour.  Another option is the professional tooth whitening at-home kit.  This is where special custom fit tooth whitening trays are made and the tooth whitening gel is then placed into the trays and worn for 1 hour for 10 – 14 days.  This method of tooth whitening is much more gentle than the in- office system as it is a lower concentration of gel.  If opting for the in-office system, we tend to recommend a couple of days of the at-home tooth whitening gel on top to help stabilise the in-office procedure.

Time Dental provides this service for patients in Farnborough as well as the surrounding areas in Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, and West sussex.

Time Dental- Private dental care at its best.

We had a patient come to see us at Time Dental near Fleet looking to freshen up his smile.  He had already had adult orthodontic braces to straighten is teeth, and now they were nice and straight the discolouration was bothering him.  He did not drink lots of tea, coffee or red wine but his teeth were still very dark in colour.

We discussed his various tooth whitening options.  One was to use in- office tooth whitening that boosts the shade of your teeth straight away.  A concentrated gel is placed on the teeth for 1 hour to make an immediate impact.

The other option was the professional tooth whitening system.  This is where custom fit tooth whitening trays are made and the special gel is placed into the trays.  The tooth whitening trays are worn for 1 hour.  This process is repeated for 10-14 days to achieve a great result.

Time Dental provides this service for patients in Fleet as well as the surrounding areas of Hampshire, Surrey, West sussex and Berkshire.

We assessed her mouth and made sure her teeth and gums were healthy and that she did not have any white composite fillings onher front teeth.  We offered her the two types of professional tooth whitening systems to help to achieve whiter teeth and improve her smile.

There are two main options with professional tooth whitening.  One is the in-office system, and the other is the professional at home kit. 

The in-office system can whiten your teeth in as little as an hour. So it is great for someone who has a tight deadline to meet.  Some in-office systems use a bright light soemtimes called laser whitening.  This uses a light source that activates the tooth whitening gel which is placed on the teeth.  Other systems do not need a light source and are chemically activated.  The in-office tooth whitening system can whiten your teeth by a few shades straight away.  We normally recommend combining this with the at-home kit to get the best result as it helps stabilise the tooth whitening procedure.

The professional at home kit use a lower concentrated gel which is placed into custom fit whitening trays which are then worn for 40 minutes per day.  It normally takes 10-14 sessions of professional tooth whitening to achieve a great result.

You need to make sure that your mouth is dentally fit and healthy and that if you have crowns, veneers or composite fillings on the teeth that are to be whitened they will stay the same shade. Porcelain and composite fillings do not whiten.